Arjen van Riel: everything starts with an idea

Tenant in the spotlight

Arjen van Riel is the owner of carenza* and co-founder of the well-known Gers! magazine. He describes his company as the Rotterdam bureau for concept, creation and campaign. carenza* was established after he finished his studies, some 15 years ago. Together with a designer friend, he established the design agency with the notion of ‘there will always be time for a proper job later’ in the back of his mind.

“When I walk out the main entrance onto the Stationsplein, it feels great. It makes my Rotterdam heart beat faster.”

Kleinhandel

Last month, carenza* moved into an office at Kleinhandel, the creative co-working concept in the Groot Handelsgebouw. “I look forward to the interaction with other Kleinhandel entrepreneurs and like having a workplace in the centre of the city. There is so much to do. I am planning to organise future meetings in a different place every time. When I walk out the main entrance onto the Stationsplein, it feels great. It makes my Rotterdam heart beat faster.”

carenza*

Coming up with ideas is what Arjen likes to do best. He not only wants a design to look good, but to also have an idea behind the concept. The idea forms the basis for the logo, magazine or campaign. The same is true for carenza* itself. The asterisk behind the name is well thought-through. It indicates that there is always more than you might initially think, a deeper meaning or an underlying notion. Hence the slogan of carenza*: ‘everything starts with an idea’.

“I would rather make beautiful things for and with interesting people.”

Entrepreneurship

“I very much enjoy being an entrepreneur and doing what I do. Money is not my first priority. I would rather make beautiful things for and with interesting people.” Arjen enjoys collaborating with the client. He works with a core team supplemented by specialists for each new project. His heart is in print and offline work. “I understand that online work is very important, but I just love the smell of fresh printout.” For websites and other online solutions, carenza* collaborates with other agencies. “I think many agencies can produce beautiful products. We select a fitting agency, based on knowledge or experience for each project.”

Gers! magazine

Arjen is also co-founder and creative director of Gers! magazine. The magazine is run by group of enthusiastic Rotterdam-based photographers and editors, while carenza* takes care of the DTP tasks. Arjen established the popular magazine 5 years ago, together with Edwin Veekens and Wouter van Lieburg. “In those days, public opinion regarding Rotterdam was still pretty negative, we wanted to create a voice which would balance the negativity. Looking back, I believe we contributed towards changing public opinion. Gers! magazine still exists, but the negativity about our beautiful city is a thing of the past.”